Sometimes, Thanksgiving takes a different turn. Perhaps you need to cook for fewer guests, or you don't have enough refrigerator room for a giant bird. Or maybe you're simply one of the few Americans who doesn't especially care for turkey. It's nice to have a few alternative-to-turkey tricks in the recipe box.
Fish cooked in cider and served over saffron rice is a typical dish from the Asturias region of northern Spain, an area famous for its hard cider. Hard cider is available at this time of year in many supermarkets. If you can't find it, use beer or sweet (unfermented) cider.
IFor several years now, we've enjoyed edamame as an appetizer in Japanese restaurants where you just squeeze the blanched soybeans from their pods directly into your mouth. Then we began to notice edamame frozen in the pods in the supermarket, and finally, bags of shelled edamame have appeared.
It's hard to believe it has taken so long for this Cajun classic to arrive in the Desperation Dinners test kitchen because one of our favorite challenges is to take traditional recipes and ''desperize'' them for busy cooks. But since this savory vegetable stew, called maque choux, stretches five minutes longer than our usual 20-minute limit, we kept putting it off.
On a trip to Mexico City, I watched restaurateur Maricarmen Ramirez make melt-in-your mouth sopes -- little corn tortillas filled with a spicy black bean spread, roasted chicken, lettuce and cheese.
Infused vinegars are a new favorite ''secret ingredient'' of ours for quickly elevating an ordinary dinner to extraordinary status. Whether flavored with figs, raspberries, pears or other fruit, these vinegars excite the palate.
Somehow, the joys of bread pudding escaped us for decades. Our moms didn't make it, and the plain-sounding name of this dessert never enticed us to experiment. But as comfort foods have made their comeback, we've gained appreciation for this budget-friendly dessert.
Traditional Steak Diane is prepared tableside in a flourish -- butter, tenderloin, cream, brandy and a burst of flames. Quick by nature, it is easy to adapt to the Desperation Dinner table even during midweek madness.
Succulent, pink shrimp are a trademark of the Florida Keys. I like to serve them as they do in Key West, leaving the shrimp in their shells and spreading newspaper on the table. Place the cooked shrimp in a bowl and just peel and eat.
Gourmet specialty chips are yummy, and usually expensive, so we set out to see what it would take to make our own. After a couple of experiments, we settled on homemade pita chips as an easy and economical treat. The results are simply fantastic. Use them to scoop hummus or even to take the place of crackers.
We had never noticed tuna ''medallions'' before, but there they were, beautifully displayed in the fresh-seafood case.
eel like Chinese tonight? This dinner is faster and less expensive than take-out. Crisp, stir-fried pork served in little lettuce puffs with scallions and cucumber takes only minutes in a wok. The meat should be crisp on the outside and tender inside. The secret is to make sure your wok or skillet is very hot before adding the meat and to add the meat a few pieces at a time.
Defining Indian curry is like trying to gather mercury into a neat pile -- the elusive liquid defies containment, moving freely with even the slightest nudge. So says our friend Raghavan Iyer, author of 660 Curries (Workman, 2008).
Alicia's daughter Hannah requested this ''Pre-Race Pasta'' before her first triathlon because it's easy to digest and great for night-before carbo-loading.
This is our go-to ''to go'' sandwich for Labor Day picnics, pool parties, outdoor concerts and general end-of-summer frolics. We've tried to cover all the bases -- safety, health, transport and taste.
Poppy-seed salad dressing is a bit retro -- think the 1980s -- but we're campaigning for a resurgence. The slightly sweet, slightly creamy dressing is the perfect counterpoint for a toss of baby lettuces, feta cheese and red-ripe strawberries.
Toss chicken strips in cumin and add chipotle peppers and their sauce to vinaigrette for a quick, Southwestern salad dinner. Toasted baguette with Parmesan cheese complements this unconventional chicken and three bean salad.
Baked potatoes as a pantry staple? Why not? They're inexpensive, it doesn't take any longer to bake a dozen, and they'll refrigerate for up to a week.
Most men relate differently to their grills than women. At least at my house, a man with tongs, meat and fire has an excuse to hide in the backyard, sip beer and play the banjo -- preferably for a very long time.
A favorite on the French Riviera, Salade Nicoise is easy to make and always a hit. I love the flavor, texture and color combination of crisp, pale green lettuce; ripe red tomatoes; soft, pink tuna and dark green beans. Use this recipe as a base and create variations with other greens or leftover vegetables.
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